{"id":38987,"date":"2024-06-05T16:20:40","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T14:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/28166922-69bb-4d3e-826d-b41d6d2431c8"},"modified":"2024-06-05T17:27:27","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T15:27:27","slug":"the-extinct-mighty-prehistoric-acinonyx-pleistocaenicus-was-the-largest-cheetah-ever-weighing-up-to-three-times-more-than-modern-cheetahs","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/the-extinct-mighty-prehistoric-acinonyx-pleistocaenicus-was-the-largest-cheetah-ever-weighing-up-to-three-times-more-than-modern-cheetahs\/","title":{"rendered":"The extinct, mighty prehistoric Acinonyx pleistocaenicus was the largest cheetah ever, weighing up to three times more than modern cheetahs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learn about new fossil studies revealing its impressive size, making it the largest cheetah to have ever roamed the earth. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 05 June 2024 at 14:20 PM<\/p>

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This mighty cat, known as the giant cheetah, roamed Eurasia around 1.3 million to 500,000 years ago. <\/strong><\/p>

The first Eurasian\u00a0Acinonyx<\/em>\u00a0appeared in the latest Pliocene to earliest Pleistocene epochs, spanning Europe, central, and eastern Asia.<\/p>

In a new study, scientists analysed older fossils alongside more recent discoveries to ascertain a more accurate size. They examined the length of the skull, height of the molar tooth and width of the bony structure connecting the skull and spine.<\/p>

These findings indicated that this Goliath of a cheetah<\/a> weighed between 130 and 190 kilograms, making it more comparable in size to a lion<\/a> rather than a modern-day cheetah – which weighs 41-45kg – and the largest ever species of cheetah to have lived.<\/p>